Revealed: The £109 MILLION seized from criminals by police in West Yorkshire

Large sums of cash have been seized from criminals in West Yorkshire, as police have revealed that they have confiscated millions of pounds in the last decade.

Financial investigators at West Yorkshire Police and the Regional Asset Recovery Team (RART) have collectively recovered more than £109m in criminal assets since 2008, to reinvest in the fight against crime.

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The latest of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 confiscations happened last week, when more than £115,000 worth of assets were seized.

Nicholas Adair, 28, and Cassie Nay, 29, were jailed in January for money laundering and drug offences.

And the pair, from Crossgates, Leeds, had their assets seized after a hearing at Leeds Crown Court on Friday.

Police said the couple were judged to have benefited from crime to a value of £156,879, and will now be liable to repay that amount in full if they possess the means.

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The latest confiscation will bring the force's total figure recovered to more than £64m since 2008, while RART has seized £45m.

Major investigations from the past decade include the seizure of £860,000 in cash from the house in Bradford and £1m in cash from a property in Huddersfield.

Elsewhere, various high-value items including watches, jewellery, vehicles, antiques - and even a book worth £2,000 - have been confiscated.

Jet skis, boats, sports memorabilia, and a collection of Star Wars toys were also seized.

The force has also carried out a series of high-profile operations that resulted in a haul of assets being confiscated.

Operation Lennon, where 15 people were jailed for the importation and supply of Class B drugs, led to cash, a property, bank account funds and a classic Ferrari car being seized.

Meanwhile, in Operation Editmouth, hundreds of thousands of pounds cash was confiscated during a money laundering investigation.

The force's Operation Limewood, also investigating money laundering, resulted in two confiscation orders totalling about £1m and assets included properties in the UK and a villa in Spain.

Officers successfully last year also secured a high-profile confiscation order of £2m against former Wakefield solicitor Linda Box.

Box was jailed for seven years in 2016 after being found guilty of fraud and theft.

Police said all of the £2m will be given back to Box’s victims.

Detective Superintendent Nigel Costello, of West Yorkshire Police, said: “Since its introduction, the Proceeds of Crime Act has become a key weapon in our fight to tackle and disrupt organised crime.

“Over the past decade the force has invested in financial investigators who have worked tirelessly to take away the criminal gains of organised criminals.

“When persons are caught and convicted this is not the end of the process, assets are traced and confiscated and these monies can be put to good use to benefit others, including victims.

“In the case of Linda Box in particular, it is heartening to know that approximately £2million will now be paid back to those she so cruelly stole from.”

Significant confiscations made by RART include the seizure of £377,000 from two Halifax men and a man from London, who were jailed in 2016 for their role in a drugs trafficking ring during Operation Gascony.

The team has also seized £189,000 from a Bradford man who was sentenced to 30 months in jail in 2016, after pleading guilty to seven offences of money laundering.

In 2014, a Bradford drug dealer who had claimed he had no assets was also ordered to pay £164,000.

Mark Burns-Williamson, Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire, said: “To see the huge difference these recovery teams have made over the last decade is extremely heartening and a credit to all involved.

“I am a big supporter of the Proceeds of Crime Act legislation and its worth is plain to see here. I want to congratulate and thank all the staff in the Economic Crime Unit and RART for their invaluable and dedicated work over the last 10 years, long may it continue and I will continue to champion the Proceeds of Crime approach.

“My Safer Communities Fund, which gives grants to not for profit organisations working to keep West Yorkshire safe, is financed by money recovered from criminals. The Fund launched in 2014 and has so far given out over £2million back to our communities to over 460 different projects, many of which I have had the pleasure of visiting and seeing the positive and often amazing impact of the work being carried out.”

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